What a goal, to be at the Cardiff City Stadium and witness the expressions on the faces in the crowd was surreal.

Not too many times will you see a moment like that, but when you do it is usually in the comfort of your armchair.

Mark Hudson, take a bow son!

The timing was perfect, too, and even though we didn’t concede against Derby we certainly needed that special goal to make the points safe.

Hudson’s goal will be talked about for years to come, but hopefully it will be part of conversations where fans talk about the year we finally made it to the Premier League.

When we drew 2-2 at home to Coventry a few weeks back I felt the players would not be able to overcome a last-gasp equaliser.

I thought our season would fizzle out thereafter. But credit to the manager and players for putting us on the brink of the play-offs in what has been an outstanding campaign.

It would need a failure of massive proportions now not to make the play-offs from here.

Despite experiencing heartache in previous seasons, I cannot see anything but being involved in the lottery of the end-of-season shoot-out again.

I predicted a 10th place finish at the start of the season as I felt anything else would be over-achievement.

So to make the play-offs would very much be an unexpected bonus.

If – or rather when – we make our position certain, we will become only the sixth team in this division’s history to qualify on three consecutive seasons for the play-offs.

When we first came up to this division I wanted us to become an established Championship team, in and around the top-six before kicking on and finally getting promoted to the top table of English football.

Admittedly, I hoped that would be by strengthening the squad each season and building on what we had, as opposed to being forced to rebuild so many times because of our precarious financial situation.

Could this season be the one where we finally make it? Why not?

This year there was very little expectation surrounding the team or the manager to achieve too much.

We were happy to see a new man at the helm and a new philosophy at the club, but even when we thought our promotion hopes had slipped away the players never gave up.

Fans are already talking about who they would like to meet in the semi-finals, but I don’t really care because our team has shown we are more than a match for anyone.

Although the quality of football has not been the best in the Championship, at this stage of the season it is all about results.

We are difficult to beat and the number of recent clean sheets are testament to this.

Let’s do it our way and gain our place in the play-offs by beating Leeds today, and not rely on Middlesbrough or Hull slipping up.

I want to see the momentum continue because winning breeds confidence and, when a centre-half takes on an audacious attempt like Hudson did on Tuesday, then that tells me confidence is pretty high in the camp.

Keep going Bluebirds, we salute your efforts – and wouldn’t if be wonderful for Malky Mackay to surpass the efforts of Dave Jones.

I felt former manager Jones’ comments at the start of the season, stating a new manager must better his predecessor’s achievements to be deemed a success, were unnecessary.

I WAS saddened to learn of the passing of City favourite Eddie May last weekend.

I had the pleasure of meeting Eddie and interviewing him last August for the Cardiff City Forum, which also featured in the Echo.

When you chatted to Eddie it was like talking to an old friend about the game we love.

We discussed everything and anything and his love of City fans was evident throughout.

So much so that Eddie was planning to join us on an away trip to be amongst the fans for the day.